title: Choosing the right path: does DNA-PK help make the decision?
abstract: DNA double-strand breaks are extremely harmful lesions that can lead to genomic instability and cell death if not properly repaired. There are at least three pathways that are responsible for repairing DNA double-strand breaks in mammalian cells: non-homologous end joining, homologous recombination and alternative non-homologous end joining. Here we review each of these three pathways with an emphasis on the role of the DNA-dependent protein kinase, a critical component of the non-homologous end joining pathway, in influencing which pathway is ultimately utilized for repair.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States.
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Neal
authors.forename: Katheryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053903:DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; D004260:DNA Repair; D051747:DNA-Activated Protein Kinase / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008025:Ligases / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D010766:Phosphorylation
chemical_list: D051747:DNA-Activated Protein Kinase; D008025:Ligases